


Tales From the Void

by Beaknighted, MsBluebell, Naz_Artz, SICProwl



Series: Bylad Rewrite [1]
Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Bylad came with her from the void, Bylad is a Seer, Bylad is an Eldritch Being, Bylad is the End, F/M, M/M, Mid-Canon, Multi, Nothing explicit in this fic, Seer Shenanigans, Self-Discovery, Self-Esteem Issues, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Sothis is the Beginning, Spoilers for After Chapter 10, Twin AU, but not now, there's an implication of possible reciprocation in the future
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-04
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-12-21 14:50:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 12,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21076685
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beaknighted/pseuds/Beaknighted, https://archiveofourown.org/users/MsBluebell/pseuds/MsBluebell, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Naz_Artz/pseuds/Naz_Artz, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SICProwl/pseuds/SICProwl
Summary: When Byleth fused with Sothis in the Void, she wasn't the only thing that left.*Updates every Tuesday*





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> A baby born from Our Dear Server Mom BBell, he's since spilled into several fics and offshoots of others, all of which we wanted to post, forgetting that, you all needed an explanation first. An introduction to the boy if you will.
> 
> Without further delay,  
here's our boy Bylad.

There was nothing in the void.

This shouldn’t have come as a surprise, because it was the void, but Byleth still somehow finds herself shocked by the sheer revelation of this fact. She moves, but there is no resistance. She stands, but there is no ground beneath her. There is no breeze, no heat, no cold chill or blistering sun. There is no light, but she can see her hand in front of her, which means there is no dark.

There is nothing.

She hadn’t had time to consider that before Sothis had appeared mere minutes before, scolding her from upon that cold throne. She hadn’t realized how much she needed Sothis to be there, just so that there was something else. But she was gone now, forever a part of Byleth. Her power surging and thrumming through the young woman’s veins as it settled, easing into the body like a part of herself she’d never known was missing finally returning home.

The pleasant burn was welcome, comforting even. It’s something to admire, all the nothing. So she focuses on the burn, letting it settle into her being, burning away the emptiness that once was so part of her being she never even noticed it.

Now what?

Byleth stepped forward, no sound leaving her footsteps as she walked if he even moved at all. The power sang in her blood, but now she found she didn’t know what to do with it in order to escape this endless nightmare.

One step, two steps, three steps.

Her skin hummed, blood still drumming it’s endless tune inside her, still settling. It’s been only three steps and it already feels like she’s been here for hours. Maybe she had. Maybe she’d been here for years and it’d simply taken that long to take those three simple steps.

The Sword of the Creator burned at her waist, pulsing like breathing fire. Her hand found itself clutching the handle, wanting to slash away the nothingness with brute strength alone. But that was a silly idea, one couldn’t cut away nothing.

Four steps, five steps, six steps, seven.

How long was she supposed to walk until she knew how to return to the world? Sothis said that it would take the power of a god to return, which means she should be able to, but how?

Byleth doesn’t think she can stand the idea of staying here, withering away until there was nothing left of her. She didn’t want that, and Sothis didn’t deserve that after already giving up her own…

‘-**_this_**?’ Something asked timidly, a wave of shock rolling through the young woman as suddenly and all at once he wasn’t alone.

That same something wrapped around her, black mist passing over her skin as ghost hands pet her. Too many hands. Whatever this is hand too many hands to count. Then, the hands were gone, leaving her alone again.

Except not, because mere moments later the something started to form. It was a face, she thinks, a face. Or, it was face-like, with eyes and something resembling a nose. The mouth, though, was lipless and looked like a hole that was melted into the marble skin. Two horns jutted out the head, golden string with pink fruit hanging from them. The thing had too many limbs, too many hands, too many spines.

‘_**Sothis**_?’ Its voice didn’t play in her ear, no, it was like it just played in her head. Twenty different tongues-speaking all at once, men, women, and children all speaking to her in unison. The young woman gripped her sword, the emotion she had learned to be fear pulsating through her body.

Then the body began to spasm. It twitched, and jerked, and cracked. The arms bent in ways that were unnatural. It jerked and twisted and stretched in ways that were too horrible to watch. But Byleth couldn’t look away, not with the way it seemed to melt and break and crack and mend until it formed something else.

‘Sothis.’ The thing stood up. But it was no longer what it had been before. No, it looked human now. It was just a man now, a normal-looking man for the most part. But it was somehow far worse than it had been before, because now when it looked at her it did so wearing her face.

Yes, it was her face. It was a bit sharper, with eyes a bit more narrow, but it was hers. It was hers if she had been born a man, she thinks. And he stands there, testing his new lips, forming words that her ears pick up. He holds out his hands, clenching and unclenching his fingers, staring at them with wide, now mint green, eyes. He lets out a joyous laugh, spinning with his arms thrown out, short mint hair flying. He laughed again as he stopped spinning, his eyes finding her. He smiled at her, now using words from his newly formed lips, reaching out for her, “Sothis! Does sweet sister remember this pitiful soul?”

It wrapped its arms tight around her, caging her arms and nuzzling its face - her face - against her neck. It was a strange feeling, or lack of, the void blocking the sensation of warmth or touch. Or perhaps this creature wasn't real, was just a figment, as her mind broke down in the endless darkness? Regardless, Byleth couldn't stop herself from struggling, terrified. A small, receding part of her, twisted with nostalgia. Sothis? This thing had called her Sothis.

"Sothis..." Was it wise to tell the truth? This thing had shown no violent intent, but she couldn't strike the image of the creature's monstrous face from her memory. "Sothis...isn't here. Just me, Byleth."

It pulled back, only just enough to that they stood nose to nose. The only thing she could see were its eyes, glowing pale green. She couldn't shake the feeling it was looking into her soul itself.

"No, this shadow is cast in the light of its sister. She was but growing in her cocoon, but now has burst forth with glowing wings. This one's sweet butterfly, ready to fly away."

The young woman jerked back, ripping the sword from her waist, holding it threateningly before her. Whatever nonsense this creature with...with _her_ face spoke, she wouldn't allow herself to fall for it. "Get back."

The creature flinched away, his face twisting in hurt. Or, as her own face would look she imagines. It's strange, like looking into a mirror, only a man is staring back at her. A man, with a human face and human features. And he looks confused, "Sothis, sister, does she not remember this one? This-I that is Byleth, not she."

"No." She hissed, shaking her head. Sothis warned her that she would lose herself and fade if she remained here for too long. Is that what this creature was? A ghost comes to steal away her very identity, leaving _her_ the shadow and **it** as Byleth, "No. That's my name. I won't let you have it. I am Byleth, and you are nothing but a shadow."

The creature's face twisted in agony, and it looked very much like it was about to cry. Another trick? It must be. But it spoke again, pleading, "Sothis...Sister, I...this one...this pitiful creature did not mean it. Sister can take the name, just please, forgive this foolish shadow."

"I told you, Sothis isn't here." She leveled the blade at his neck, "No more tricks."

"This one would never." It shook, hands clutching over its chest, "Please, Sister, what is this? This strangeness? This one...this face...this body. This brother had not a body before. What is this? Sister...Sister, this creature's heart is beating. It hurts."

The young woman frowned, a bubble of concern swelling inside her at the boy's words. For a moment, she almost forgot that this was a creature of the void, nearly dropping the point of her weapon away from the creature's neck in her show of compassion. "I won't be fooled."

"Please." The creature reaches out, "Sothis? Do you remember this one? It is your loyal shadow. The end that follows the beginning. Your brother, your twin, Byleth."

She removed the sword from the creature's neck and stepped back. So far it hadn't been violent, and there was a small part of her that felt guilty for threatening such a pathetic thing. "Did you not hear me? Sothis isn't here, and I have no twin."

It fretted about, motioning towards her, weaving side to side anxiously. "No, no. Sister is right here. Right in front of me. This one cannot be without her, they are a world cleaved into two. She is the side the light shines upon, and this one lies in shadow."

That was enough. "Stop it. _My_ name is Byleth, and Sothis is gone. If you are a shadow then fade back into the darkness where you came from. I must find a way out of here."

Her heart, such as it was, twisted at the look on his face. It stood motionless, a deep sadness in its eyes as she continued to walk forward. She didn't even make it ten paces before something inside of her forced her to stop, suddenly feeling weary. If he wasn't a figment, perhaps this...man...was what happened to people lost in the void? She couldn't have been the only one. She shuddered, thinking again at the creature's true face. Would that happen to her as well if she couldn't find an exit? Would she end up taking some other soul's image, speaking nothing but nonsense? She couldn't hold back the sudden feeling of pity.

"Shadow, find yourself another name and make yourself useful. Tell me more about this place."

The Shadow froze, body rigid for a moment. It's...his eyes found hers, a bastardization of her own. The same vivid green. The man frowned, it's face still twisted in something akin to despair and bitter disappointment. It...he spoke then, voice small, "The one before this Shadow...is, not Sothis any longer, is she?"

"I told you before, Sothis is not here." Byleth scolded him, "Now help me."

The Shadow fidgeted, lip trembling for a moment, "This one thought the one before it was the Goddess Sothis, for the shadow can smell her power lay bare on the soul."

Then his eyes landed on her sword, and for a moment, there was a bitter, burning, hatred in his eyes. The contempt so deep, so ugly, that she almost flinched away. But then it was gone, faded as soon as it was born, replaced with soul-crushing sadness and regret that ran deep, "Perhaps it is better that Sothis should not know the events that have to lead these two souls here, in the void."

Byleth frowned, feeling an odd something stir at his words, though she cannot place them, "What do you mean?"

"Forgive this useless Shadow, he is but a fool." The Shadow turned to her, "This place, it is the void that lays between the realms of life and death. Sothis was once the goddess to rule the realm of life, and this one was once called Byleth, the god that rules death, and it is here that the two could once meet. Though, this one supposes such is no more. If Sothis is truly gone, then so is Byleth as he was, and this one is truly not but a shadow. This one is no longer sure of who he is, then; for it must take this form to reflect life."

"How do we get out?" Byleth asked, ignoring the growing pain in her chest, she didn't have a heart she was just imagining it. The man, an almost mirror image of her looked at her curiously.

"This Shadow knows not, where once this place served as a hideaway to which Sister Sothis and I held conference, now remained my place of longing."

"Place of longing?" How...how long had he been here, no he was a Shadow just like Sothis said he was. She needed to be careful lest she never returns to her students. They needed her. Dmitri needed her.

"Yes, since Sister Sothis' first passing when that," and his face seemed to darken, reminding her deeply of her own fury when-"That vile excuse of flesh betrayed his Patron, abusing the gift she had bestowed upon him-!!"

His bones began to crack and Byleths blade raised in fear, and...worry? For this...ghost?

He seemed to be aware of it because his face calmed down and he turned away.

"Forgive this one, few things this one will take issue with and fewer are they he will make eternal enemies of."

"...Duly noted, "Byleth acknowledged. He seemed to be of little help, hung up on Sothis his... Sister. But if they were siblings why had she never remembered him? Byleth shook her head the longer she remained here, the greater the risk of her being lost forever.

She began to walk away from where that...thing was, and deeper into the abyss. Back into the direction of the Sothis' throne. She halted her movements when he called to her.

"Where does the Butterfly fly away to?" His voice sounded so childlike, and small...like the orphans of the Monastery. Despite his nature giving her pause...her newfound "heart" won out in the end.

"Sothis' throne...do you want to come along?" The Ghost seemed to light up at the mention of Sothis, despite knowing that she was gone...never to return.  
The upside was that this killed two birds with one stone. She found her way out and could make sure this Ghost couldn't stab her in the back.

Sothis's throne. Where was it? There were no landmarks in this place, no wind, no sensations. One direction was the same as any other. In a way, she had been glad for the sound of the shadow's voice, because at least that meant she could hear sounds.

Except she couldn't. Her feet made no sound, though they had tread since she was walking. There was actually no indication she was moving at all. Her clothes made no noise either as they rubbed together. Panic rising, she thought to test her voice, to make sure she had at least heard that. The creature made motions as if he too were moving, though he was silent now, with a bleak look on his face and lost in thought.

"Shadow, speak to me. You claim to be Sothis's twin, but she never...she never spoke of you."  
  
And there it was again, a pain, a feeling of regret. "She and I spoke, and it was clear she didn't remember much, but..." You don't just forget family. Byleth clenched her fist, remembering holding her father in the rain.

The creature seemed to shrink even further in on himself if that was possible. "My sister, long ago, was taken from the shores of her realm."  
  
A sudden flash of heat crossed his face, and he glared once more at the sword, now hanging in it's sheathe again. "She has not swum the tides of this one's visions in so so long. It is not so difficult to believe that Sister has forgotten her poor weak shadow. But still, we wait here. This one has not been to his own realm in a very long time."

Byleth stopped. He had said it earlier, and she had brushed it off as madness. Sothis was a Goddess, she had said herself she was the Beginning. This creature, the one who claimed to be her brother, had said he was the End. In a night full of impossible things, was it so unbelievable that the Goddess that had been living inside her head had a brother? If this creature was true, and not just a thing of her imagination, was it not possible that she was speaking to a God? In the flesh, as it were?

As she looked around the void, nothing in sight except for a man that looked just like her, Byleth decided she must have truly gone mad.

She snorted, wryly considering that perhaps the void had truly gotten to her. For all, she knew the Ghost beside her was a mere figment of her imagination, and not at all a demon of the Void.

And then...

It appeared, she looked back behind her from where she had walked from. And then to the steps before her leading to an empty throne. The sight of it bringing her a sense of sorrow. She had lost not one but two important people in the span of two months.

One to her inability to utilize her own powers in saving him, the other to save her own life. And now here she was, revenge almost at her grasp, and she had been caught off guard by the darkness, leaving her students to fend for themselves.

It seemed she had been doing nothing but letting people down lately, she'd even let down the Ghost beside her, who had since moved to approach the Throne. The Ghost, claiming a name exactly as her own, has expected his sister Sothis and had gotten her instead.

Shaking her head to rid such thoughts, Byleth focuses on the Throne ascending the steps hoping in someway the remnants of Sothis would remember and help her.

Climbing the steps she watched as the Ghost kneeled to the side of the Throne, resting its forehead against the armrest, humming to himself.

What a mad fool. But then again so was she, expecting a throne, an inanimate object of stone to give her answers.

"Sothis, how do I get out of here?" She whispered, ignoring the existence of her 'audience', she rested a hand on the opposing armrest, eyes downcast, "You gave me your divine blessing, but I don't know how to use it- I need to go, do what needs to be done. They need me Sothis, please, give me something."

Byleth knew, that begging and pleading like this, Sothis was gone yet still here. But she wouldn't be able to talk to the Impish girl ever again. She would truly be alone.

"The Butterfly must away for the sake of her students yes?" She jumped, having almost forgotten that she was not entirely alone here. Regaining her composure so she would give no edge for the Ghost to gain ground on, she nodded.

"Can you help me, do you know of a way to get out of here?" The Ghost looked off into the great expanse of the Void, glassy-eyed and hazy, and within minutes he was back.

"The Butterfly must flap its wing hastily for her Azure Moon doth need her light, his Aurora to enshroud him in light," he was speaking in that archaic way of his again, he looked down at her Sword, his eyes narrowing again,"You must make use of the Betrayers Blade, for the essence of the Blade was made to cut through the vast Fabric of reality itself."

"Cut through the darkness with the Blade?" That sounded like the dumbest thing possible, and did he have to say it in so many words?

"Yes, the Butterfly must away, her Moon is in need of her Light." Like she knew what that meant?! She turned away in annoyance because his plan sounded crazy enough, just stupid enough that it probably was how she would get out of here, and she firmly believed that Sothis had planned it that way as well.

She descended the steps to make ready to leave, and she felt a tug force her to turn her gaze back to the Throne. Where the Ghost remained to stare longingly at the Throne.

The way he watched the Throne as if staring hard enough would make it not real, it reminded her of that afternoon in the rain, where she'd her first tears in twenty-on years. Where he drew his last-She couldn't leave him here and she felt that part of it was because Sothis was telling her so. Byleth didn't know this boy, and she trusted him even less, but the part of her that Sothis' had inhabited for so many months on end longed for him to be near her.

"Hey," she called out to him, his head snapping to attention, and she felt her mouth go dry, what should she say, what could she say... "What's your name?"

The Ghost opened his mouth to reply but stopped short looked off into the distance again, and then replied," Bylad...this one's name, his new name to accompany this new face...is Bylad."

"Well, Bylad...I'm going to try leaving now...would you like to come with me?" She offered, and within the blink of an eye, he wrapped his arms around her, shaking as he did so.

"Yes." Was his reply, but she could feel the weight of his loneliness, his sorrow, the ache deep and unfathomable. She rubbed circles in his back soothing him. And she felt at ease for the first time since she arrived here.

...

"I sincerely hope this stupid plan of yours will work," Byleth said not looking behind her, The Ghost, no, Bylad squawked in indignation.

"The Shadow cannot lie!!" He exclaimed, deeply offended,"Least of all to the Butterfly Sister." She didn't bother to correct him. And instead focused her energy on the Sword, holding it out in front of her.  
Like a raging river, a vast torrent of energy began to flow through her, filling he'd up from her root to her crown, running through her core and around her very soul.

She felt the physical essence of Sothis' blessing course through her veins, closing her eyes to focus that energy she reopened them, and with a battle cry pushed the sword through the infinite darkness, greeted by the sight of the late afternoon sun.

Not thinking twice as she jumped through she pulled Bylad along with her, the boy not saying anything as she dragged him without concern.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp here's some more of Bylad, get used to how he talks, and have fun parsing all his nicknames

The creature...boy bound after her as he was dragged. His clothes, a more closed copy of hers, fluttered around his form, almost emulating wind as he followed her back to the throne. It was, possibly, the only safe place within the endless place, "the void between life and death" the creature had said. If this was true...

Red overcame her vision. Bright lights of red and gold as the words suddenly flashed in and out before her. It was like she simply passed through an open door awash with red light, her hand on the boy's wrist as they passed through the nothing and into the something.

His wrist felt real beneath her palms. A part of her expected it to feel like a shadow, for the boy to fade as they stepped through the veil and back into the real world, for the shadow to fade in the light of the sun, finally freed of the burden that became its existence after so long trapped in the void.

But he didn't. He stepped beside her into the living world. Their footsteps both landed on the ground beneath them, echoing as solid leather met the solid ground. The breeze blew in her hair, against her skin. The sky bled red from the door she and her double descended onto the world again.

In the distance she could see her students, standing together, staring at the door she made in shocked silence and awe. She felt a wave over her, something she thinks is pure relief. The Shadow, boy, Bylad, stands beside her, and Byleth is half surprised that he hasn't faded still, or taken a different face, perhaps his old one? Something more like Sothis' own face if he was truly her brother?  
He tilts his head back and smiles, holding out his arms and letting his eyes slip shut. The light shined against his skin, hallowing him, making him practically glow with golden and red light, "This one has not touched the living realm in so long. The Shadow has never felt the wind kiss skin before."

Something inside Byleth, something deep, and unnamed, broke at that. Suddenly, she felt guilty for her easy dismissal of this sad, pitiful, creature beside her. She felt pity unequaled, and, far deeper, she felt something _warm_ bloom at the soft smile on his lips. It was small, buried, but achingly familiar.

_'I want to see you smile._'

Byleth felt that this was the best decision she could have made. And she'd like to think Sothis would think so too. Perhaps the Goddess wanted him to be free of the Void just as much as she wanted Byleth to escape.

She couldn't dwell on it for long though, the cries of her students behind her, cheering at her return. And the disbelief of her enemies before her, as they backed away in her apparent ability to defy her fate.

"How wonderful, the Fell Star has brought the Guiding Star along with it, thus sealing her fate," the once kind librarian, Solon smirked in front of her, as though she'd made a mistake. And she felt like she almost did before Bylad stepped in front of her. His body and height shielding her from sight, though she could not see his face, she could hear his tone, and it recalled something within her.

Something she could not pin down.

"The Accursed Alchemist before me, and before Butterfly Sister, will cease it's incessant chattering," The boy breathed, she could feel the air grow heavy around them, and her legs were starting to give out, but she had to hold on.

Bylad turned back to her, still shielding her, "With the Butterflies permission, this one would rid her of all her enemies save one," he cast a glance at Solon, "Will thee give me this honor, dearest Sister."

She wanted to remind him that she was not Sothis but recalled the company she was in front of and heard the footsteps of her students coming to meet her. She would need to decide soon. Stuck between tiring her students and not having enough pulses left, she wanted to see where the boy, her new "brother" fell, where she could place her trust in him.

She nodded and he grinned such a goofy toothy grin, she found herself smiling in response. A stark contrast to the spell he cast.

Like a yawning mouth, arms of pure white, purple and blue opened beneath each enemy, curling around them slowly and softly, touching them gently. Grabbing on softly. And then she heard the snap of Bylad's fingers. And immediately the arms became pitch black and dreadful. She heard the screams from the portals and the of Solon's...allies? The arms wrapped around their whole bodies and even those of the Demonic Beasts, sinking down into the portals, leaving no trace of their existence.

The looking on Solon's face, the only enjoyment she receives from this...display of power.

"Do not presume me to be your Ally again, wretched Alchemist," Bylad said with an air of finality, and with a dramatic turn, gestured for her to fight Solon.

_Again_, he said. Again, because they were allies before. Still, whatever had happened between this...this boy, Sothis' brother, and the people who had sent her to the void, who had _killed her father_, he was very clearly no longer a friend of theirs. Perhaps, for now, she could trust him. Though she feels herself growing weary of the power he'd shown. Dark and twisting and terrible. Yet, he stood aside all too easily so that she could cast judgment on Solon herself. Stepping aside and bowing his head in submission, hand held out in a show of presence. He stared through his lashes at her, begging for approval she has thus far denied him since they met.

"Butterfly, take what is yours." The boy smiled at her.

'_I want to see you smile_.'

"Guiding Star? You would side with her that destroys you?" Solon hissed, bristling in displeasure. He looked, for a moment, devastated by this simple fact, like all-purpose in the world had been lost. And Byleth couldn't help the simple bubble of satisfaction that swelled within her at the thought. Good, let him be devastated, it wasn't even half what she felt when they took her father from her.

Even if he, Bylad, hadn't asked her to, she would have taken out her sword and swung the blade true. It broke into a whip, slinging and crackling with red power and striking the wizard down in a single slash of her blade. He was...pitifully easy to kill with the sword, like this, with Sothis' power thrumming through her veins. His blood splattered against the ground, and he fell with barely a sound.

...it was not satisfying at all.

Byleth drops her head as the sword clinks back from a whip to a blade. Her body suddenly feels heavy, too heavy to hold, and she crashes to her knees. Blood still drums in her ears, but the sky was slowly losing its red color as the door she'd ripped open faded, leaving behind nothing but blue sky on this bloodied field. Eyes, now teal, stare at the bloodied body lying motionless before her, almost waiting for him to rise again.

But he doesn't, and all at once she realizes how much of a failure this whole mission had been.

She'd rushed into a trap, willingly. She'd disobeyed the church, angered Rhea, endangered her _students,_ _Dimitri_, she'd _lost Sothis forever_. And for what? For this? For nothing. Kronya was dead, but not even by her hand, leaving her empty and unsatisfied. Not even killing her killer had been enough to fill the void left behind.

She'd done all this, lost so much, for nothing.

Footsteps sound beside her as a shadow is cast over her. A hand finds her shoulder, giving it a comforting squeeze, and Bylad kneels down next to her, trying to peek at her face with his teal eyes, face twisted in concern, "Butterfly? Does the wind not make you happy? Need you comfort from this Shadow?"

She looked at him, a boy of flesh that wore her face, who she had dismissed as a mere shadow, a pitiful copy. She looks at him and realizes he's the only thing she's gained from all this, that pulling him from the void was the only maybe good thing she's done today.

And now he was trying to comfort her.

He was trying to comfort her after she had threatened him, dismissed him, and called him nothing. He was there, real, having followed her out of the void, his hand on her knee, and face twisted in concern. And she's suddenly filled with terrible guilt to match her failure.

Her body reacts on its own, throwing her arms around him. She doesn't cry, no, but she sniffs, and her soul twists with terrible guilt and loss. He stills for a moment before rubbing circles in her back, soothing her. And if she had any more tears to give she would cry.

"Professor!" She heard Annette cry out, "What's wrong?!"

Her students herd around her, and she can hear the crunch of their footsteps as they kneel beside her to offer comfort. It is silent for what feels like forever before Bylad breaks the silence.

"The Butterfly's grievances have not been adequately addressed, for her prey, the Father Killer was robbed by the Wretched Alchemist and the trophy she received has not eased the aching gap," he speaks wisely, and she wants to give a laugh at that because he's right. She came for Kronya and lost her to Solon, and then she killed Solon.

But it didn't bring her any joy.

She wanted Kronya** not** Solon, she wanted Sothis, _she wanted her Father back_.

"I'm sorry, but were we supposed to understand any of that?" Felix bites out, she can see the gritting of his teeth and the narrowing of his eyes. She'd never told him that he reminds her of an angry kitten when he gets like that.

"Who is the Butterfly? Is it the Professor, why don't you just call her by her name? Who are you anyway?!" Ingrid asked, she could see the girl growing frustrated, she deeply wanted to answer them herself, reassure them. But she was so so tired and exhausted, wrung dry of everything. Byleth couldn't do it.

"I think he's talking about how the Professor is dissatisfied with the results of this... mission," Ashe piped up, his voice subdued latching onto the words Father-Killer, she didn't have to have eyes in the back of her head to know that,"Kronya was killed by Solon, and even though Solon was killed by her hand...it doesn't improve what has happened with the Professor's..."

The silence came over them and threatened to hold them forever.

"That still doesn't answer who he is though," Sylvain said. And they were immediately on edge, she could hear them brandishing their blades, getting into position to attack.

She had to get up and clear the air, she was their teacher, the responsible party in this situation, it was her burden to bear.

She stood up, her legs shaky, and muscles exhausted, and said, "He's my brother, Bylad. Don't hurt him."

And then let herself fall, falling slave to her bone-deep weariness.

* * *

Sister falls.

Sister is always falling. She falls so much. She fell then and she falls now and she will fall in the future. Though this time as she falls, it is not for long, and she is caught by her <strike>lover</strike> student, the blonde one, Azure Moon. He cries for her, catching her in his arms as her flesh vessel near hits the ground. How sweet of him.

The brother, Bylad now, Sister wanted his old face's name for her new face. He's not sure she understands, yet, that this face is new for him. Or mayhaps she does? It's hard for him to understand, he's only been aware of life again for a few mere moments.

Bylad touches his face with his new, strange, fleshy talons. It's smooshy, and soft, and strange. He is unused to being made of flesh this soft, has not done so very often before, preferring his shadows and tongues. But, for Sister, he would do much.

Now, Sister's cubs watch him wearily as the Azure Moon lifts her from the ground, carrying her in his biceps and forearms. Good, good, excellent. They are in a good tide. The Moon will love and adore her, and she shall live long and lovely and beloved without ever facing those monsters that would rip from her a spine to make their weapons.

"Are you really her brother?" The Soft Lair, Soft Kitty, Angry Kitty shoves the sharp end of a sword to his breathing neck, the edge so close it could gore this body so easily, "Where did you come from? And why have we not heard of you?"

"Felix! Stop!" The Knight Keep slaps the sword away, her long, golden, braid whipping around her, "We need to get the professor to help first."

"There's a stranger here." The Soft one spits, turning a glare towards the pitiful shadow, "If you're really her brother than where have you been the last month?"

"Guys! We need to go!" The Gingerbread Mage sounds frightened, "Professor needs help! And-and we need to get out of here before more creepy guys show up!"

She didn't know that the shiny guards would be here soon to spirit them away, back to the home of the God Mother, his wayward niece of ill intent. Bylad should comfort the girl, "Worry not, Gingerbread Mage, for those of shinny guarding, will keep Those Who Slither In The Dark away with their presence when they away bad cubs to their weeding punishments. Then this Shadow will meet with God Mother and the Butterfly will fly her wings again."

The cubs, alas, simply stared at him. Bylad frowned, touching his new face with his flesh talons again, wondering if he'd done something wrong with it.

"He's insane." The Soft Liar drops his sword, turning to them, "The professor clearly never mentioned him because he's a madman. He must have escaped his keepers."

Bylad couldn't refute that perhaps some flesh bodies were wont to call him mad. And more important was the Butterfly Sister, for whom a warm sleep place was needed. The Azure Moon's grip on her firm but not painful, though Bylad doubted she would notice.

Sister tended to sleep deeply, it was why-No, she would have woken up, back then, Bylad averted his eyes. The memory of that **moment** burned into his soul, he cannot separate from it, for has it not brought them to this point?

"You may call this one whatever you please Soft Liar if it brings you ease so be it, this lad is mad," Bylad stated, locking eyes with the boy. Who narrowed his eyes in return at the name.

"What'd you just call me?!" Uh oh, it appeared he had made an oops, which meant curled talons striking his fleshy face, and he was not sure how sturdy this body was.

"Felix, watch it, we need to go, we're all tired, and the Professor needs to get got the infirmary," The Knight Keeper, pulled the Soft Liar back.

"Hear, hear," Bylad crowed, "The Knight Keeper speaks wisdom!"

The Cubs wore looks of confusion again. The Knight Keepers' face conflicted, as she did not know how to take the title.

"_Why the hell does he keep talking like that_?" Sylvain whisper-shouted to no one in particular. The Cubs began to fall into a spicy conversation with one another, fleshy limbs flailing and flesh talons being brandished, he feared he had created a bigger oops than before.

The Azure Moon slid up to him, his Loyal Shield behind him ever watchful.

"I do not know if what you say is true or not, but I believe in the Professor and will intercede on your behalf until the Professor awakes," the Azure Moon folded his flesh vessel, and bowed his head. Never once dropping his Sister.

"Pish," Bylad said in response, "The Azure Moon need not speak with the God Mother for this one, this one will remain by the Butterfly's side and answer to her alone." Bylad had left her side once...and look what happened.

The Azure Moon opened his speaking hole before being interrupted by the Dead Phoenix, who shouted, "Nemesis' Balls Felix! I'm from House Gaspard, I'm a Bard I know what I'm talking about, you-you-!!"

"Angry Kitten?" Bylad offered.

"Yeah, you angry stupid kitten!"

"What did you just call me?" The Angry Kitten stomped it's walking paw, hissing like it's namesake at the Dead Phoenix.

"I wouldn't call you anything if you would _listen_ to me when this is something I've been trained to recognize since I was taken in by Lord Lonato." The Dead Phoenix waved his limbs like the bird he is. Perhaps trying to fly away? How pleasant!

"Flap your wings, Dead Phoenix, speak the truths of your tongue and face the fires fury as we flurry through this tide." Bylad smiled at the boy or tried to, but it must not have worked. The speaking hole was strange, and the muscles in his new face were strange. The ones in his old face were much easier. Then again, his olde face was, as Sister Sothis referred to it, "adorably horrific". Oh well, he tried.

The cubs all frowned at him, though the Dead Phoenix rubbed his face tiredly, "He's telling me to be honest despite you all being angry."

The Azure Moon's grip tightened on his sister. He moved to stand between them, "It doesn't matter. We have to move before enemies regain themselves and find us."

"No need." The Shadow cooed, stepping next to his sister's future lover and poking his sister's cheek, "The might shinies shall come and away from these wayward hooligans now."

And then just that happened, the shiny knights of his nutty niece road true, the Punderful Joke storming forward with courage as he called out, "Students! The Knights of Seiros are here for you!"

Horns sounded as the shinies road on, charging at nothing because there were no enemies to charge. Which made them all very much confused as they road ever forward, seeing no bodies splattering the field but the small few her cubs had slain before the Father Murderer had been slain, and the one that lay before them now.

The cubs, watched the shinies coming with wide-eyed weariness. Their vessels were tired with exertion, having been dragged and beaten on the mad mission of vengeance his sister sought. Some sought to set their gazes on his vessel, grimly clicking their jaws. All were caught in their bad happenings, and all would be taken back to face their judgment.

The Azure Moon held Dear Sister's body tight, stepping in front of the pitiful brother again, this time to defend him from the Punishment Bringing Knight, who set upon these weary cubs with nary his usual smile upon his lips. How sad.

"Children!" The man boomed, " Are you all alright? Where is- Professor?! You're a man!"

"This one is not the one to which Punderful Joke seeks." Bylad peeked from behind the <strike>king</strike> prince's shielding vessel, "She is within the Azure Moon's arms."

The man froze, his seeing orbs flicking between him and sister. So fast did those eyes move, so confused where they. Then, he yelped, throwing his flesh talons against his forehead, "By the goddess! Twins! The professor has a twin brother!"

"Yes!" The Shadow clapped, "This one was born of the same made flesh as Sister!"

Bylad did love it when Sister dearest made the fates align as they did, even when she was mostly unaware of it. The Punderful Trickster looked to be ecstatic at the idea of the lad being the Butterfly's twin. And if the tide was ridden correctly, Bylad would be able to be by the Butterfly's side once more.

His place as her Shadow fulfilled once again.

The Punderful Trickster then focused his efforts on getting them back to the Worshipping School little Seiros had built. Bylad faintly wondered what Sister Sothis had though of the place before rushing to follow after the Cubs.

Walking right beside the Azure Moon so like a proper Shadow, his land talons could follow behind her. He watched the Cubs march on, like the Army at Agarthas end, but these Cubs were much more honorable than those insects.

Feeling the intense gaze of ones seeing orbs upon him, Bylad spied none other than the Ginger Mage, who was twittering about, her orbs going back and forth between the Butterfly and the Moth. Bylad tilted his head, as he walked.

"What plagues the Ginger Mage so?"

The girl jerks, her vessel trembling for a fleeting moment before her orbs of blue land on his person. The mage trembles a bit, and the Shadow can feel the waves of magical power throbbing beneath her skin. Humming like lightning through the air. She sets her gaze upon him, lip trembling, and speaks, "I heard something."

"To what did the Mage's hearing find?" The Shadow tilts his new face to look upon her. This body is so _strange_, no nearly bendy enough. Restrictive, and small. He's so small. He has to turn to see the girl.

The small mage plays with her hands, poking the hands together and flexing her talons. She looks at him, then at her hands, then him again, "Are you...?"

"No questions." The Shadow warns her, his sight finding the unconscious form of her sister, safe and warm and _alive_. The goddess of living, back in her home. Breathing and alive. Not dead and dying as she had been before. Oh, how terrible it had been. When she was gone all that was gone and fair had gone with her, and he has left a shadow without light. Wandering aimlessly in the void without her. "Some many strange hearings could be found in packs."

The mage bowed her head differently, but the Shadow could smell the power on her, and he realized she already knew of his nature.

How _wonderful_.

And so she stands by his side, her talons clasped, and he could feel the prayer in her mind. The Shadow wonders, for a moment, if there is doubt in her. He had never been good at understanding thoughts. His gaze was for what was to come, not what was here.

Nevermind, it matters not, for he is here in the realm of living things, set to swim with the tides so that he may not wonder listlessly in the void again. All he would have to do was meet with the God Mother, his sister's daughter, and ignore her ramblings until his sister wakes again.

He takes a moment to study her new face, as artificially made as his own, grown separate before devouring the whole of who she used to be. How strange. How wonderful. He wouldn't judge. His own new face is overtaking the one that used to be him as well.

A faithful shadow following her steps once again.  
  
**As it should be.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long...I was going to answer comments but if I leave to go look through them I'll forget to update this again.
> 
> Anyway, here you are.

When Byleth next woke, it was to the sound of feet moving around her fervently. Which was odd because she knew for a fact Manuela always made careful movements in the infirmary, as much as she liked to drink, her pride as a physician made her go above and beyond in her work.

She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly trying to adjust to the light, her everything hurt, just everything. Groaning she attempted to sit up, not rejecting the hands that helped her as she did. When she repositioned herself comfortably, she noticed the other entity in the room. Who was staring at her with the same eyes and a similar face, rather than sit on the floor, he'd opted to kneel by the bed, which couldn't have been comfortable, and watched her patiently.

"The Butterfly is fit to fly again?" He asked her, the way he said it, his tone, reminded her of a young child, and she figured in a way he probably was Sothis' younger brother. She was the Beginning and he was the End.

**Was.**

Sothis wasn't here anymore, and whatever Bylad once was he could not be anymore. Tentatively reaching out to touch him, she watched as he did not flinch back from her touch. She pats his hair, giving it a little ruffle.

His confusion imperceptible, she wondered if that's what she looked like sometimes.

"Sister?" Shaken free of her thoughts she nodded her head, her throat dry and unused.

Making no sound, Bylad had brought her a glass of water, which she drank slowly, savoring the feeling of having water down her throat.

"The Butterfly is as famished as she was thirsty is she not?" Bylad asked, leaning down from where he stood. Byleths' stomach chose to growl at that moment, causing pink to dust her cheeks.

"Worry not dear Sister this Moth will away for only a moment and return with enough for the Butterfly to sup on fowl," Bylad jumped, gesticulating, before he exited the room, he stuck his head back in and said, "Ignore the Drunken Damsels demands, she was most distressed by the Butterfly's coma."

And then he left...leaving Byleth without answers to her questions.

...

Moments later, Bylad returned, with her entire class behind him, with him shooing them away as one would birds.

_"Shoo, shoo!!_ Away with thee, you incorrigible Cubs!! Permit the Butterfly to have her fill before making a racket of oneself!!"

She was confused, she was so confused but the sight of Bylad pushing her students out, pushing Dmitri, with his strength out, and they were letting Bylad do so.

It was too much, it was too funny.

It took a few more moments, but Bylad successfully managed to shove them out of the room, slamming the door in their face and locking it with a loud click. The wooden frame jolted as many different fists banged against its surface. She could hear their loud protests, all calling out how unfair it was that he locked them out, or demands that they be let in, and even a threat from Felix.

Bylad paid none of these words any mind, turning with a bowl in his hands and holding it up victoriously. "Sister, this one has a meal of oats!"

And, just as he proclaimed, there was a bowl of oatmeal before her, steaming and ready to take. The door rattled some more as the students called out for her. She decided to pity them, **_"I'm awake!"_**

That only made them cry out louder as they called questions through the door, begging her to let them in, or demanding Bylad release her. It was..._silly_, and comforting. She can't help the warmth blossom in her stomach at such obvious care.

"Sister! Break your fast before the cubs break the barrier!" Bylad warned, shooting the door a look, "For once they enter this place of healing sister will no more rest have."

Byleth did take a bite, then two, then three, before she finally decided she had too many questions to wait until she was full, "How did you get them to let you stay here? What did you tell them?"

"The truth." Bylad patted the edge of her bed before sitting himself down, kicking out his feet and wriggling his feet like he was amazed by his own feet. He probably was. "This one admitted to the siblingship of these persons, though he went mostly scathed against by lashing tongues. Still, none could deny him once the Azure Moon spoke."

"So Dimitri defended you?" Byleth should have expected as much. He was such a kind soul, and he had heard her call Bylad her brother, he probably convinced Rhea to let him stay.

"God Mother was most interested in this one." Bylad admitted, wriggling his foot again, "This one is familiar, with she, and she suspects who this one is, this one knows. But she cannot speak such with tongues of certainty, so she waits."

Swallowing another spoon of oatmeal she processed what he was saying, taking note of the thumping and shadows beneath the door.

"Rhea knows you?" She asked between spoonfuls, she was glad that Bylad had brought her such a big bowl, despite not eating for so many days, her stomach has apparently not shrunk in size.

Bylad hummed, playing with the tassels on his pendant, "Perhaps, although precious little has remained to lend credence to her posit. For this one donned a new face when the Butterfly came to visit!"

And he smiles a toothy childish grin that she often saw on Cyril's face whenever Rhea praised him. Or even Flayns' when Seteth gave her a pat on the head. She felt her chest flutter with a familiar light feeling, though she had yet to put a name to it.

She wondered what it was that made her want to keep him still smiling like this.

"Good job," she replied, his smile grew, the joy evident in his eyes. _This_...this she knew how to deal with. Praising her students came easily to her, though she'd have to get advice from one of her students for a more concrete sibling relationship.

But given the state of most of her students...familial lives, she feared she had few options.

Bylad stuck his face very close to hers, causing her to back away, almost choking on her food.

"What troubles the Butterfly so?"

"Nothing just-"She was interrupted, or rather saved, by the sounds of shuffling and thumping from the door. Her eyes narrowed she realized what was going on.

"Ingrid? Dedue?!" Byleth called out waiting for an answer.

She received muffled affirmatives from the two, and then yelled, "When I walk out of this room, I should hope Ashe has been left alone to his studies and **not** shoved up against the door."

A beat passed, and then the shadows beneath the door had mostly left, though two remained. She assumed it was Dmitri and Dedue. And sighed deeply, this really took it out of her.

Looking beside her to meet the gaze of a very curious boy, she smiled as she swallowed another spoonful of oatmeal. At least there was one upside to all of this.

"The cubs awayed so swiftly." Bylad marveled, staring at the shadows beneath the floor, he moved towards the door, poking it, "The door is a most useful ally. This shall make more doors when next a city must be crafted from shadows."

"Could you open it now?" Byleth asked, moving out the bed, leaving her bowl behind.

"Of course Butterfly Sister!" The boy nodded enthusiastically, rolling onto the balls of his feet and bouncing forward, grabbing the door handle and unlocking it. He threw the door with a flourish, the wooden surface banging against the stone. Dimitri, who had diligently stone outside the door, blinked in startled surprise. Dedue stood, not looking surprised at all, but eyed Bylad wearily as the boy bounded forward.

"Hello." Bylad waved at them, stepping aside, "The Butterfly wishes to flap her wings against the realm of waking and bask in the moonlight."

Dimitri stared at him, blinking, before nodding hesitantly, "Why, thank you kindly Bylad."

Then blue eyes met hers, and the blonde perked up, rushing forward, "Professor! You're awake!"

"Hello, Dimitri." Byleth nodded to her student, something..._warm_, building inside her as he stopped in front of her, a relieved smile on his lips. She studied him, from his barely contained anxious behavior to his clenching fists. Yes, she was happy to see him.

"I am..._so_ glad to see you are awake." Dimitri confessed, "We were all quite worried for you."

"I'm glad to be awake," Byleth replied with a small smile, casting a glance at her brother who was studying the doorknob, "And I should thank you for vouching for my brother."

Dimitri looked surprised at that, face dusted with the slightest pink as he looked away, embarrassed, he never did like to be recognized for good deeds. He had a habit of doing kindness and then moving on as if it was integral to life as breathing.

"It was the obvious thing to do, I was not the only one who vouched for your brother either, Sir Alois and even Lady Rhea herself seemed to know that he was your brother," Dimitri supplied. She made a mental note to give Alois a gift for his efforts, he really did care for her as her Father once did...**their** father once did she corrects.

If this is the truth she willing to endorse, she must be willing to include him in every aspect of her life. And watching Bylad open and close the door, watching the hinges, how they moved and marveling at the sight. The idea wasn't so bad, she found herself soft smiling. Dimitris blushing face evidence of the fact, and the mumbling of her mesmerizing smile causing her chest to flutter. Byleth understood that this was not a feeling she could ask Dimitri for help within understanding, she'd have to resort to an alternative.

"Well, nonetheless, thank you for your efforts, and Dedue," she called to the older boy," Thank you for dispersing your fellow classmates."

"It wasn't anything that requires thanks, Professor." She gave a fond sigh, she still needed to work with Dedue on that.

"Sister!!" She heard Bylad exclaim, they all turned to watch the boy as he flitted from one place to another shifting from foot to foot excitedly.

"Yes, Bylad?"

"This one is sorry to interrupt your Moon moment, but perchance we could partake in the hot leaf water? This one is most anxious to taste it!"

Hot leaf water..._did he **want** a tea party?_ She felt the fondness from when she had tea with her father spring forth. Nodding yes, Bylad shouted a hooray and returned to his fiddling with the door, once again entranced by its movements.

Dimitri and Dedue both watched her newfound brother, one watching with a weariness that spoke of having dealt with such antics before and the other merely crossing his arms. The prince turned to her, grimacing slightly, "He's...fascinated by many things."

Byleth let her eyes fall back to her double, still watching those hinges creek and move, an honestly innocent and gleeful curiosity on his face, seen only by those who knew the cues of her own face. She wonders, for a moment, how long he must have been stuck in that void if something so simple fascinated him. Then she shakes her head, accepting the oddity. Turning back to the other two, she speaks, brushing it all off, "Would you two like to join us for tea?"

Dimitri brightened for a moment, looking ready to accept. But he paused, suddenly, lips falling just the smallest bit before glancing at her brother on the floor and then back to her. "I would love to Professor, but are you sure that you wouldn't rather spend time with your brother? From what I have been able to understand he's missed you terribly after your..._separation?_"

The woman frowned, not quite able to formulate the best way to tell him that Bylad had followed her out of the void. If he didn't already know. There certainly wasn't a _friendly_ way to confirm such a thing. And she did not know how to begin explaining Sothis, or her sacrifice, or how Bylad may or may not have been summoned to her side _because_ he thought he sensed his sister, his** real** sister, in her.

No. **No**, she and Sothis had fused. They were one now, always, so he was just as much her brother as he ever had been Sothis'. Or that's how she thought it, perhaps, worked. There really was no set precedent for this. But it _feels_ right to call him her brother now when she has escaped the void and she is assured that he is not trying to devour her and her identity into the darkness.

"Yes! Separation!" Bylad decided for her, pulling open the door one last time before twirling towards her, "This one is most eager to speak of things known to him, Butterfly Sister. Over hot leaf water!"

"Alright..." She agrees, holding out her hand for him. He takes it eagerly, flexing his fingers over and over as their palms touch, perhaps unused to the sensation after so long in the dark, she thinks. With a final nod towards Dimitri, she readies to depart, "I will be in my rooms having tea with Bylad."

"Ah, yes, you must rest yet." Dimitri nods, smiling, "You just awoke, and I fear that..."

He gestured to his hair, frowning. Byleth blinked, reaching to touch a lock, finding it the same teal green it had become when she and Sothis...

Ah, yes, it seemed this was going to stay as a permanent fixture on her body. She didn't dislike it, it was a lovely color, but it would certainly take some getting used to. Bylad's coloring was much the same, which perhaps hinted that he was involved in the Void as well, possibly most certainly did. But she would share the truth only if needed.

"Do not worry." Byleth told the prince, "It does not hurt."

Dimitri simply nodded and without further fanfare left her to her brother's company, "I will let my classmates and peers know to leave you alone. As you doubtless have much to talk to your brother about."

She nodded in thanks and waited for Dmitri and Dedue to leave, Bylad's fingers studying her own with an intense gaze. She tugged her hand pulling him along with her, towards her room.

And true to his word, the students did little else but greet her as she led Bylad to her dorm. The walk took longer than she would have liked, considering Bylad's boundless curiosity for his surroundings. He really must've been without stimulation in the Void, alone with no sound or light, she'd have to pop open a window in her room so he could still have some light on his person.

They had to stop at one point because a Butterfly had made a rest stop out of Bylad's nose. And considering his firm refusal to move, they had to wait it out, which didn't take long as Bylad sneezed within moments, the Butterfly flying away.

His face the picture of a crying child, she couldn't hold back her laugh, tugging him along to give him tea and cakes to cheer him up.

Returning to the familiar confines of the Monastery Dorms, she felt herself relax and relish the feeling of comfort in her room. Bylad seemed to be interested in staring at whatever caught his interest outside.

So she set about steeping the tea and looking for her stored cakes and sweets which hopefully weren't stale, and by some miracle, they weren't. Laying it out on the small makeshift table, she opened the window and cleared the window nook so he could sit by it.

"Does the Small Mouse often stand outside her hidey-hole?" Bylad asked as he plopped down on the chair waiting patiently for the tea to be made.

"Small Mouse?"Byleths' mind raced to put together who he meant, wishing she had Ashe's expertise.

"The Small Mouse yes, who oft seems to be more Ghost then Mouse, but always gets the second cheese," Bylad reaffirmed, grabbing a cookie off the plate and nibbling on it. Perfectly content.

Byleth was happy he was happy, although she feared the nicknaming would become a problem soon. Pouring the now finished tea, she figured that was a problem for another day.

And waited as Bylad took his first sip.

Watching him drink his first sip of tea contained various different happenings at once. At first, he seemed delighted. But then his face twisted, scrunching up in pure disgust as he glared at the cup in his hands. He hissed then, "The tongue has been offended."

"You don't like it?" Byleth tilted her head, wondering which tea she used. She doesn't always pay attention when she makes tea unless she knows what her tea partner likes or dislikes in particular. Taking a sip of the tea, she finds the familiar flavors of Saint Tea washing over her tongue. Hmm, it's not her favorite tea, but it's not one she dislikes either. "What do you not like about it?"

Bylad wrinkled his nose, taking three sugars and dropping them into the cup. "This one has a peek into the tides, and he finds that the leaf has done him a wrong."

"So it's not the taste?" Byleth tilts her head but shakes it off focusing on other things now. Bylad was taking care of his own tea problem, drowning the beverage in milk and sugar. Instead, she chose to focus on other things. "You keep mentioning tides..."

"The tides of time and fate," Bylad explains, testing his tea now that he had modified it, seemingly to his liking as well. "Much as the Butterfly can flap her wings and spin back the hands of time, this Moth's sights may peer beyond the veil to see the ocean of time, riding the tides, and rivers, and streams, to find what maybe."

It took her a few moments to understand, but once she had run his words through her head a few times, over and over, she thinks she realizes. And it's...astonishing. He certainly knows about her Divine Pulse. And he, in turn, can apparently catch glimpses into the future?

It makes some sense, she supposes. If Sothis was the Beginning, and Bylad was the End, then one must work in the past and the other the future. It sounded difficult to believe, at first, but then again so was her Divine Pulse. Nothing could be as impossible as turning back the hands of time and changing the past. So what was peering into the future compared to that?

She wondered at the drawbacks of such a thing. She became physically exhausted if she turned back time too much. Was it the same for him peering into the future? Did he receive sensory overload? Did he see the different paths all at once? Or did he have to watch them in order, carefully selecting the sequence of scenarios? She had so many questions.

**If he could peer into the future, then how had Sothis been allowed to be separated from him?**

Had the Void stopped his visions? Or did he truly have a weakness to his power that could be exploited to devastating effect? He must, or she doesn't believe he would have ever been trapped there in the first place.

_'The Guiding Star'_, Solon had called him that. If he could truly see the future, then that made a dreadful amount of sense.

The pleased hum he made shook her free of her tumultuous thoughts, his childish exterior in conflict with the devastating magical aptitude he had displayed back in the Sacred Forest.

_'He's the Guiding Star,' _she thought, sipping her own tea, adding milk, cream and sugar to adjust it, _"And Sothis was the Fell Star, was this what she was once known as or was this what she was to Solon and Kronya.'_

Thinking about Kronya filled her with the familiar anguish that was not satisfied and would likely never be, and she cleared her thoughts to focus on Bylad. The boy who was staring at her in knowing.

"What is it Bylad?" She asked, the boy-her brother, slowly reached out his hand to hold hers, his gaze lowered, "This one is sorry he could not satisfy your hunger."

Byleth was confused putting the pieces together, he wasn't talking about her actual hunger, so he was referring to-

"Oh Bylad, you couldn't have done anything about, just like I couldn't," she assured him, rubbing her thumb over his knuckles, he looks like he wants to disagree, so with her free hand, she grabs a cake and puts it in his open mouth.

Bylad bites down and chews on it, pouting," This lad does dislike it when the Butterfly purchases his good mood in treats."

"So no more cakes?" She teases, he's getting a little easier to understand, Bylads eyes go wide, grabbing a few more cookies and cakes.

"This lad did not say so!!" She laughs at his expression, not noticing his eyes softening at her laughter.

* * *

"Professor," Seteth nodded his head in greeting.

Betraying none of her thoughts, Byleth chose to nod rather than verbally greet him.

"It's almost late, and I believe your brother should be taken to his own accommodations wouldn't you agree?" Byleth could see the logic in that, it didn't matter that they were siblings, it was inappropriate in the eyes of the Monastery for them to share a dorm. But Byleth had an inkling Bylad would be hard-pressed to leave her room...considering he had made himself comfortable underneath her own, stating the darkness of the bottom was comforting of his old home.

"I agree but..." Byleth threw a glance at her door, where Bylad was already making himself comfortable underneath her bed _after_ she had convinced him to let her at least clean it first.

"Is there an issue with this, you know the rules of the Monastery Professor," Seteth said, his tone the epitome of sternness that she recalled hearing often in her fathers' voice.

"It's not so much me as it is my brother...perhaps it'd be better if-"She began to suggest just letting Bylad remain in her room this one night, but then Bylad's voice exclaimed through the door.

"This one would think that the Willow Widow would have sympathies for the plight of a wayward brother wanting no more than to guard his beloved older sister's happiness."

Seteth jerked back, eyes growing wide and face pale as he stared inside. Bylad crawled only halfway from beneath the bed, leaning on his hand and humming as he eyed the Archbishop's assistant. Seteth's eyes remained wide as they stayed on her brother, jaw quivering the slightest bit. _"How...?"_

"This one knows many things." Bylad rolled on his back, sliding back under the bed, **_"Many things!"_**

"_B-Be that as it may!"_ Seteth straightened, scolding into her room, "It would simply be considered too inappropriate to let the two of you share a room like this."

"Time has made the Willow Widow too stuffy." Bylad calls back, not moving from under her bed, "Tis most ashaming that he would think such inappropriate when there was a time those born of the same womb were expected to share bedding."

Seteth's jaw clicked, "I don't care what the world used to do. The world _now_ says that this is terribly improper, and in order to maintain Garreg Mach's reputation we must follow the rules."

"This one is required to do nothing." Bylad insisted, "If the Bookish Brother wishes, he may take the matter to his own Lily Sister. As is, this one shall remain in Butterfly Sister's shadow."

It was a powder keg, albeit an unintentional one on Bylad's part, given how he was practically a newborn. And looking back on it, the way he held onto Sothis' throne...No it would be cruel to force Bylad to separate from her. And Seteth looked like he was about to blow up, his face red with anger and...dread.

"Seteth a moment," giving the man no room to argue she stuck her head into her room, "Bylad rest for now and I'll take care of it okay."

This seemed to cause Bylad to come out from under the bed, "Is the Butterfly to away from the chamber of rest? The Shadow will accompany her!!"

She shook her head, assuring him, "No, I'll be right outside the door, I promise you."

He looked skeptical, and then his eyes went glassy as they did before, he stuck out his pinky finger, and looked much like the child he acted as, "Will you swear upon the bonding small talon?"

Her chest fluttered with that familiar feeling, she recalled it from when she praised her more expressive students. It was an endearment, yes that was what it was. Locking her own pinky finger with his, she shook it, "I do solemnly swear." He seemed placated for now and sat down by the bed waiting for her. She sighed but counted it as a win. Closing the door she turned to face Seteth, who had no doubt heard the whole exchange, had a pensive look on his face. His anger had faded away.

"As you have clearly heard, despite how old he looks, he behaves as a newborn child would, "Byleth argued, banking on Seteths own compassion to his sister for this to work," And he has a heavy attachment to me considering..."

She didn't have to continue for Seteth to understand. She heard him sigh and watched him pinch the bridge of his nose, clearly conflicted.

"I...will speak to Rhea regarding the matter, but you will receive many strongly worded notes from the Faithful once word gets out, "Seteth admitted.

"That's fine, so long as those who matter know the truth of this, I see no reason to keep it a secret," Byleth opened her door to rest, pausing, "Thank you Seteth."

"I said I will speak to Lady Rhea, nothing is set in stone just yet...we need to discuss the events of the Sacred Forest anyway," with these final words, Seteth left. And as uncertain as tomorrow was, Byleth had a brother to put to bed.

She absently wondered if Mercedes could give her any advice on the matter, or Ashe for that matter.

Alone now, or as alone as she was getting with Bylad under the bed, the woman made herself back inside her room. From just standing there, she couldn't even really tell there was supposed to be another person present in the bedroom. Her newfound brother was hidden quite well beneath the shadows of her bedding. Then again, he must be used to blending into the shadows by now.

Shaking her head, she steps over towards the bed, leaning down to check under it. He was there, sitting straight as a board, staring blankly ahead. She frowned, tilting her head, "Bylad? Did you need a pillow? Or blankets?"

"There is no need to spare this one softnesses." Bylad told her, still staring unblinkingly ahead at the wooden frames, "This one is content to wait among the shadows."

She frowned, concerned, "It can't be comfortable to lay down there without any bedding. Your back will get stiff."

But he merely shook his head, still laying stuff and flat, hands straight down his sides. It was eerily still, and it struck her, once again, that he wasn't human. Sothis had never been this still, not in sleep and not in waking. There was always some part of her moving, from her hair to her tiny breaths. But Bylad barely even breathed, and only blinked at too long intervals of time.

"Bylad, if I give you a blanket and pillow anyway, will you take it?" She asked softly. Was this something that was always part of him, as the end, or was this another thing the void zapped from him.

"This Shadow will do whatever the makes the Butterfly Sister happiest," Bylad confirms with a small, subtle, nod.

Byleth would _like_ for him to sleep in an actual bed, in his own room. But she knows that would make him emotional. She could _feel_ it in her bones. So she would take baby steps. She **needs** to take baby steps with him, work up to that level.

_'How long have you been waiting in the dark?'_

She shakes off the spark of _something_ in her head, standing to grab the extra blankets from the end of the bed. They're supposed to be reserved for extra warmth during winter, but for now, they would serve a better purpose as his temporary bed. It's easier to get him settled than she thought it would be. As flighty as he was, he also listened to her every word without question, rolling from under the bed at her command and let her set up a makeshift pallet.

It wasn't soft at all, but it was better than the cold, hard, floor.

She heard him shuffle around as she readied herself for bed, he hummed an oddly familiar tune as she did so. When she finally got under the covers she leaned over, just enough so he was aware she was there.

"Good Night Bylad."

"May peaceful dreams follow after you Butterfly Sister!"


End file.
